While hospitals stay open, several nursing homes evacuate patients

At least nine Louisiana nursing homes threatened by the approach of Tropical Storm Isaac decided to evacuate patients, state officials said Monday. The homes, including eight that have no backup air conditioning, house a total of 997 residents.

The Department of Health and Hospitals was working with nine other nursing homes with no backup air-conditioning capacity to encourage them to "take precautions or evacuate," officials said.

Six nursing homes have fully evacuated, Meghan Speakes of the Department of Health and Hospitals said Monday evening. They are Luling Living Center in Luling, Ormond Nursing and Care Center in Destrehan, Lafon Nursing Facility of the Holy Family in New Orleans, Maison DeVille Nursing Home of Harvey, West Jefferson Health Care Center in Harvey and St. Charles Specialty Rehabilitation Hospital in Luling.

Our Lady of Wisdom Health Care Center has evacuated its high-risk residents who needed to be transported by ambulance.

About 300 patients in the New Orleans area with special medical needs were expected to be moved to state shelters, including the LSU Field House in Baton Rouge. As many as 300 medical-needs patients in Jefferson Parish might also need evacuation assistance, but the final number was expected to be lower, officials said.

It appeared that all hospitals in southeast Louisiana planned to remain open, although the Interim LSU Public Hospital in New Orleans transferred 24 patients to the Central Louisiana State Hospital in Pineville. St. Charles Specialty Rehabilitation Hospital in Luling evacuated four patients.

The Interim LSU Hospital also said it will discontinue all elective surgeries and close its clinics at 7 a.m. Tuesday, keeping them closed through Thursday. The hospital will resume normal operations Friday.

The Ochsner Health System announced that its health centers and clinics would be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday but its seven hospitals would remain open.

West Jefferson Medical Center said it was continuing with most normal operations but inpatient and outpatient surgery scheduled for Wednesday would be canceled and outpatient services including Imaging and the Breast Care Center would be canceled Tuesday and Wednesday.

East Jefferson General Hospital said all surgeries, procedures, appointments and departments were operating as usual Monday. However, some departments will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, including the Wellness Center, Imaging Center, Radiation Oncology, Outpatient Rehab and Cardiac Rehab.

Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma said it was "discharging patients as appropriate, postponing elective procedures and handling emergency-only patients" but anticipated "being able to resume normal activity immediately after the storm passes." It said its Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center would be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Bruce Eggler can be reached at beggler@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3320.